Thu, Jun 2 7:30 pm
Join Douglas Arion, Ph.D., the Executive Director of Mountains of Stars and Professor Emeritus of Physics and Astronomy at Carthage College in a discussion of our place in the universe, followed by a screening of the film:
Contact
Adapted from the Carl Sagan novel, directed by Robert Zemeckis, (1997), Starring: Jodie Foster, Matthew McConaughey, Tom Skerritt, 150 min., PG
In this Zemeckis-directed adaptation of the Carl Sagan novel, Dr. Ellie Arroway (Jodie Foster) races to interpret a possible message originating from the Vega star system. Once first contact with an extraterrestrial intelligence is proven, Arroway contends with restrictive National Security Advisor Kitz (James Woods) and religious fanatics bent on containing the implications of such an event. An incredible message is found hidden in the signal, but will Arroway be the one to answer its call?
Douglas Arion, PhD is the founder and director of Mountains of Stars, a public science outreach and education program that engages the public with ‘environmental awareness from a cosmic perspective’. More than 67000 members of the public have participated, and the program has trained more than 300 students and nature guides and educators in science communication. He is Professor Emeritus of Physics and Astronomy and Donald D. Hedberg Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Entrepreneurial Studies at Carthage College. Previously, he was assistant vice president and head of the Applied Physics and Engineering Division of Science Applications International Corporation. He, with Richard Fienberg, co-founded Galileoscope to provide high quality, low cost telescopes for worldwide promotion of science education and outreach as part of the International Year of Astronomy 2009 and International Year of Light 2015. More than 260,000 are now in use in over 110 countries.
The Colonial’s Science on Screen programs are presented in partnership with White Mountain Science, Inc. (WMSI).
Sponsored by an anonymous friend of The Colonial.
An initiative of the Coolidge Corner Theatre with major support from The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.